There is a feeling of emptiness, yet it also feels like something is there. If normal sensations are conscious awareness, then the intermediate state of awareness, which could be called the subconscious, is perhaps what is referred to as "emptiness." This is not a term from psychoanalysis, but a word I used while searching for a suitable expression.

Normally, meditation is done with a focus on the forehead, but to reach the Sahasrara chakra, it is better to align conscious awareness with the Sahasrara. Here, "awareness" refers to conscious awareness, the normal awareness, not the "emptiness," but the positive, outward aspect of normal awareness. And above the Sahasrara, it can only be vaguely sensed with normal conscious awareness. You might feel it as if it's connected by a thin, taut line like a "Ghost Patrol" antenna, or you might understand that it's connected in a certain way. However, that "understanding" is, from the perspective of conscious awareness, the feeling that something is actually happening, literally "understood."

On the other hand, from the perspective of "emptiness," there is an aura that actually extends above the Sahasrara. This "emptiness" is different from normal conscious awareness, but there is still some degree of awareness connected to it. However, there is an aspect of it that cannot be considered the positive, outward part, and it extends above the Sahasrara. This "emptiness" is also present in the body, and it is quite clearly felt from the area above the back of the head. The "emptiness" extends from the back of the head to the Sahasrara.

Sometimes, even during meditation, the aura does not extend upwards from the Sahasrara. In such cases, the basic approach is to direct conscious awareness towards the Sahasrara. However, that conscious awareness itself does not extend above the Sahasrara. Nevertheless, it has the effect of opening the Sahasrara, and it can physically relax the head and prepare for the "emptiness" aura to rise above the Sahasrara.

After aligning awareness with the Sahasrara and making sufficient preparations, the focus of awareness is shifted to the forehead (the basic focus of meditation), or to the lower abdomen, or even to a part of the body where the aura is still weak (in my case, the right arm), and the intention is to fill that area with aura. This has the effect of equalizing the aura, but then the lower body, such as the lower abdomen, becomes more filled, and conscious awareness is not directed towards the head.

This state probably resembles what Professor Honsan Hiroshi calls "shijitsu jōhei," meaning "substantial below, flat above." The lower part of the body is filled, while the head and other areas have clear awareness and are balanced. Professor Honsan Hiroshi does not use the word "ku" (emptiness), but uses the word "hei" (flat) for the upper part. Professor Honsan Hiroshi uses the word "ku" (emptiness) to mean a state of imbalance, which is correct in his context. The "substantial below, flat above" is correct, but unexpectedly, an aura of "ku" extends from the outside of consciousness to the Sahasrara chakra. This is a state of "ku," but not the "ku" that Professor Honsan Hiroshi is talking about; it is an aura of "ku" that exists but does not exist, which unexpectedly rises from the back of the head to the Sahasrara chakra.

"Substantial below, flat above" means that the upper part is flat and the lower part is filled, and it is not good to have "ku" in the upper part or "ku" in the lower part, which is an expression in the style of Professor Honsan Hiroshi, but it is correct. In my case, it seems that an aura of "ku" is rising from the back of the head to the Sahasrara chakra, outside of that.

If the aura of "ku" is particularly concentrated in the back of the head, and if the aura has not yet extended above the Sahasrara chakra, then at this point, the aura of "ku" (without the intervention of conscious awareness) naturally extends towards the Sahasrara chakra, and if it is thin, it is perceived as a taut state like a "GeGeGe no Kitaro" antenna (by conscious awareness). On the other hand, if it is already open to some extent, and further filled, so that the aura of "ku" extends thickly upwards, then it will be perceived accordingly (by conscious awareness).

The part that perceives is conscious awareness, but actually, what extends above the Sahasrara chakra is the aura of "ku."

Even though it is called "ku," it has a reality, and it has the aspect of "feeling" sensations, and also the aspect of "acting," even if it is thin and subtle. It is not just an aura, but an aura with the aspect of "consciousness."

In reality, it is more likely that the aura of "ku" itself is connected, rather than being conscious, but from the perspective of conscious awareness, it is difficult to distinguish whether it is connected or whether the aura of "ku" itself is thinking, and it feels like a larger consciousness appears from the "ku" aspect, or that it is connected.

The aura of "ku," which has the property of being difficult to distinguish whether it is connected or whether it itself is thinking, is extending above the Sahasrara chakra.

If the aura of emptiness is what extends beyond Sahasrara, then even if you try your best to reach above Sahasrara with your conscious mind, it is not enough. While you can prepare for Sahasrara by enriching the normal, positive aspects of your aura with your conscious mind to a certain extent, once you are sufficiently prepared, your conscious mind should step aside a little, and the aura of emptiness will naturally extend and connect beyond Sahasrara.

Whether this is an appropriate analogy or not, it is similar to the roles of men and women. After a man has made progress to a certain extent using the "orthodox" method, when it reaches a stage where a direct approach is difficult, the woman, who represents the "emptiness" aspect, easily overcomes and resolves the next stage. It is difficult for a man to achieve this on his own, but for a woman, it is possible only if there is a man who has prepared sufficiently. This can also be seen as a division of roles between the positive and the empty, and I think that to reach beyond Sahasrara, it is not through the orthodox method, but by letting the conscious mind step aside so that the aura of emptiness can naturally rise.